Copyright Statement

Abstract

South Sulawesi might seem at first a less than promising site for
exploring Indonesian cultural activities during the 1950s and 1960s.
Given the reportedly low level of pre-war education and nationalist
organization in the region (Harvey 1977:21) and the fact that it
remained part of the Dutch-created Negara Indonesia Timur (NIT,
State of Eastern Indonesia) until the end of 1950, one might expect
that there was less involvement here in the developing modern, Indonesian
national culture than in other parts of Indonesia, less interaction
with the major centres of activity in Java. More importantly,
during the 1950s Sulawesi was the site of two regional rebellions, the
Darul Islam revolt of Kahar Muzzakar in the south, commencing in
1950, and the PERMESTA rebellion of 1957 centred mainly in the
north. Problems of political instability, lack of security and social
and economic disruption seem likely to have impacted severely on
the energy and resources available for cultural activities.